a temporary aid package can give an economy a boost. it can fund projects that can pay some bills, employs some people for a time, but it cannot sustain an economy for the long term. it cannot pull the whole weight because at some point the money runs out. but an assistance program that helps unleash free enterprise can create enduring prosperity. free enterprise is based on mutual exchange, millions of people buying, trading, building, investing. it has its ups and downs. it is not perfect. it is more reliable and more durable, and ultimately history has shown it is more successful. by the way, perhaps the best example of the good that free enterprise can do is by looking at the example of the developed world itself. my friend arthur at the american enterprise institute has pointed out before 1800 living standards in the west were appalling. a person born in the 18th century lived as his great- great-grandfather had. life was overwhelmed with disease and danger and early death. starting in 1800 the west began two centuries of free ente